Those of a certain vintage will remember the early Monday afternoon draws for the respective rounds of the FA Cup on BBC Radio 2.
A sense of anticipation was in the air, as fans in some cases had a wait of close to 48 hours to see who would be next up on the road to Wembley. That was then, the days before 5 Live. It would be a stretch to say that the Monday draw was 'a great English tradition' but it was part of the wrapping that encapsulated a competition that meant more back then.
The All-Ireland football championship, however, remains a cornerstone of the Irish sporting landscape - the Croke Park finale bringing the curtain down on the men's competition.
En route are the provincial battles and it was to the radio we turned for the 2023 pairings.
Saturday Sport on Radio 1 was the go-to spot on the dial. Des Cahill and Joanne Cantwell oversaw proceedings, with the GAA's Bernard Smith and representatives from the provincial councils in situ. On call for their reaction were Seán Cavanagh, Éamonn Fitzmaurice and Kerry selector Mike Quirke.
Eamonn Fitzmaurice and Sean Cavanagh on the importance of the provincial championships ahead of the new football format next year #GAA #RTEGAA pic.twitter.com/YeHg9TeJkF
— RTÉ GAA (@RTEgaa) October 15, 2022
Similar bells and whistles also formed part of RTÉ's coverage when they first broadcast the draws on television in the 1990s.
The 'Sunday Sports Special' attracted a curious audience in an era, unlike now, when Leinster and Munster was a lot more competitive. Often broadcast on the October Bank Holiday weekend following the official arrival of 'winter time', the thoughts of many turned to battles ahead, fought out they hoped under sun-splashed skies.
I'm not sure a similar longing is there for the provincial jousts to come in April/May of next year. It all will be run off in jig time ahead of the Sam Maguire/Taliteann Cup group stage. A dilution of the provincials? Yes, you would have to say, with it stuck in the middle between the Allianz League and the aforementioned group stage.
That said, certain counties will still dare to dream. One from New York, London, Sligo and Leitrim will reach a Connacht final. Colm O'Rourke, in his first year as Meath boss, can harbour realistic expectations that he can lead the Royals to a Leinster decider, given that Dublin are on the opposite side. Colm Collins, now ten years at the helm in Clare, will feel that his side are good enough to reach a final, where Kerry, in all probability, will be their opponents.
"It highlights the madness of this provisional system as well that we're now talking about Division 4 teams going to be guaranteed a place in the Sam Maguire Cup" - Seán Cavanagh
Yes, reaching the provincial finale in 2023 has with it the golden ticket of still being involved in the Sam Maguire race, and the guarantee of three more games. The winner will have home advantage in the first round of the All-Ireland group phase.
And while county boards will add the provincial championship fixtures to their shiny 2023 diaries, it's a date in the calendar that may not be foremost in the thinking for many squads. The conclusion of the Allianz League next March will have a key bearing on how the summer shapes up. The promotion/relegation scrap between Divisions 2 and 3 and the final placings in the second tier is where a lot of the focus will be.
As things stand, Westmeath (currently a Division 3 side), as Tailteann Cup winners, will be in the All-Ireland group phase, as will one from the quartet of Leitrim, London, Sligo (all Division 4 sides) and New York.
A quick refresher - a Division 3/4 side must reach a provincial final in order to play in the All-Ireland series.
Judging by some of the reaction on Twitter and the comments of Seán Cavanagh, the prospect of a Division 2 teams missing out on a Sam Maguire tilt highlights for them a flaw with the provincials.
"A better team won't be in Sam Maguire," was the tone of one such tweet, while Cavanagh told RTÉ Sport: "It highlights the madness of this provisional system as well that we're now talking about Division 4 teams going to be guaranteed a place in the Sam Maguire Cup while there are a stack of Division 2 teams, some of them top provincial teams, that are more than likely going to miss out at this stage. The system is a crazy one."
It may be crazy but there was always a chance that Connacht was going to be lop-sided, with Sligo and Leitrim on their travels for their opening games. And so we will have a 'minnow' mixing with the big boys next summer. Many will argue that a place in the Tailteann Cup would serve them better. It may do, but players and management may also relish the opportunity to partake in the rarified atmosphere of the top tier, however chastening it may be.
And so we switch our focus back to the league. Will a top-five finish in Division 2 be enough to guarantee that you don't end up in the Tailteann Cup? A 'Super Sunday' of sorts could well be in the offing at the end of March. Whatever drama unfolds may not be enough to dissuade those that the overall system is still flawed.
How seriously will Westmeath take the Leinster championship now that they have their Sam Maguire ticket? They are on the opposite of the draw to Dublin, so they may feel a place in the final is within their reach.
Will a number of Division 1 and Division 2 sides tailor their summer run at the All-Ireland group stage - a guaranteed staging-point for them. Will Kevin McStay be disappointed if his Mayo side don't make a Connacht final? They'll have to beat Roscommon and then Galway to get there.
Kerry selector Mike Quirke admits there are 'inadequacies' in the provincial structures but says the All-Ireland champions will focus on getting 'the max' out of themselves in the Munster SFC before the new-look group phase he thinks will give the championship 'a bit more life' pic.twitter.com/IkDnq1dhNi
— RTÉ GAA (@RTEgaa) October 15, 2022
As for the four groups of four in both the All-Ireland and Tailteann Cup competitions, it will take 28 games to eliminate eight teams. New York will enter the Tailteann Cup at the preliminary quarter-final stage.
It's new territory for the football championship, but it's a shifting landscape. Like a lot of key GAA decisions, fine tuning will apply as we head deeper into this decade.
How relevant the provincials will be going forward remains to be seen. The fact that they will be run off like a blitz next year is another indication that their relevance is waning, despite Connacht secretary John Prenty's assertion that next year's western battle will be "hugely exciting".
The 2023 All-Ireland winner will still have to play six or seven games after the conclusion of the provincials.
That's when the serious business begins.
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